Safe Hands Care & Support Services

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 1 Safe Hands Care & Support Services

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Registered provider: Safe Hands Care & Support Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service was registered on 16 December 2024 and is operated by a private provider in North West England. It can accommodate up to 22 individuals in five shared or group-living premises that are limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers and seven single-occupancy premises.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a full inspection between 29 September and 3 October 2025. Due to significant concerns in the leadership and management and safeguarding arrangements, a notice restricting accommodation was issued. The notice prevented children from moving into the provision. Compliance notices were issued under regulations 4 and 5 to address the shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to determine if the concerns leading to the restriction of accommodation notice had been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors visited one single-occupancy flat and one shared group-living home. The inspectors spoke to one child.

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This monitoring visit

No children had been admitted since the notice restricting accommodation was issued.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have implemented a system to manage referrals and reports. They plan to gather sufficient information about children before they move into the Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 2 service and feel confident that children who they accept will be suitable for supported accommodation. These practices have yet to become embedded.

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This monitoring visit

Several children with complex needs continue to be accommodated in the service. One child has a learning disability and needs help understanding what is said to them. They become frustrated with communication when speaking to people they do not know well. Staff do not have the skills and experience to care for children with learning disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

Staff closely supervise one child during the day and at night. They sleep in the child’s single-occupancy flat on a mattress or sofa in the living room. This adversely affects the child’s privacy and quality of support as there is no separate bedroom or bathroom for staff. This means that the accommodation is not being used in accordance with the provider’s registration.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers accept the complexity of children’s needs but do not work with placing local authorities to find an alternative plan for children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not assess whether children can live together in shared accommodation safely. Children with similar complex needs share a group home with staff being present throughout the day and night. Staff supervise all children’s interactions within the home. When risks to individual children increase, staff do not update a risk assessment to consider the impact of this on others in the home. As a result, the provider continues to operate outside of its statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have made some improvements in identifying help that children need. For example, staff completed a learning session with a child following a serious incident. The child’s risk assessment was updated with steps that staff need to take to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have created a management tool to improve the oversight of the nominated individual. This has not yet been used, and its impact on quality assurance is not yet evidenced.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have completed a review of the quality of support. They have submitted this to Ofsted, which improves the oversight of the regulator.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notices were not considered and will be reviewed at a future monitoring visit. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with children to help them understand how to keep safe, by offering guidance and support on how to minimise any potential risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies, and share information where relevant to keep children safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the relevant roles and responsibilities assigned to them by the registered person in relation to protecting children. (Regulation 5 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(f)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 23 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the supported accommodation undertaking that 23 November 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 4 puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the supported accommodation undertaking in a way that is consistent with the ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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Requirement Due date

implement recruitment practices that ensure staff are suitable to work with children and to keep them safe from harm;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that plans for support are based on initial referral information, are meaningful and are created in full consultation with the child, taking account of relevant plans for the child;

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Requirement Due date

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe;

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Requirement Due date

engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support;

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Requirement Due date

ensure a plan for support is in place to support the child to develop the resilience and skills required to transition out of 23 October 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 5 supported accommodation when the child is ready to live more independently. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(b)(c)(k))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child and the registered person considers that incident to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry);

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)) 23 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supported accommodation settings are homely and welcoming environments. They should ensure that children can access all shared areas of the setting unless there are specific reasons why this is not possible. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 29) Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 6

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to follow up information received by Ofsted and/or to ensure that the supported accommodation provider was complying with regulation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Safe Hands Care & Support Services Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Carmen Nosegbe

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider - monitoring visit: Safe Hands Care & Support Services 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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